filter media?

Hello,

I don’t read about a lot of people using open cell foam rubber or urethane foam as a media for mechanical filters? Why? It seems to work ok and the really soft porous stuff is cheep compared to other material I read of people using?

I use three 35 gallon trash cans for my small 1200 gal pond. Using a up flow system, the first is a settlement chamber, the second is the mechanical filter filled with various sizes of foam rubber, similar to a ‘Skippy’ type with plastic grate appx. 8-10” off of bottom and last is the biological filter similar design only with coarse Scotch bite type pads.

What material would work better to fill the middle trash can with, without spending a bunch?

Foam is fantastically effective for mechanical entrapment... so effective that it has to cleaned continuously. It is just too much work. As to making a recommendation, I'll let others chime in. My recommendations probably would not be considered 'cheap'.

Koi ponds are much more organically rich than fish aqauriums. As a result, fine filtering media clogs in very short order and can ;

1) become anaerobic

2) clog to the point that flow goes to a trickle or stops in open systems entirely. The result can be a burned out pump or dead fish due to the loss of flow/oxygen levels etc.

If you are home bound and check the pond hourly, I suppose foam sections in a filter could really mechanically pull out fines well ( as they do in my marine displays). But you will need to attend to the foam inserts daily in growing season. - JR

Foam is fantastically effective for mechanical entrapment... so effective that it has to cleaned continuously. It is just too much work. As to making a recommendation, I'll let others chime in. My recommendations probably would not be considered 'cheap'.

Mike, what would you recommend? I have the same issue as Mark, but am interested in a better solution even if it is not 'cheap'.

A friend of mine is using a separate setup using the upflow method. In this setup the media is three layers; med size gravel, pea gravel, then sand. It appears to polish his water extremely well. To clean it, he has a valve that he opens in the back to release the water has he hoses the gravel pit out. Could you comment on this type of polishing mechanism as well?

(I hope I'm not out of line, I'm new to this forum and still haven't got my arms around these threads and replys yet )

Mike, what would you recommend? I have the same issue as Mark, but am interested in a better solution even if it is not 'cheap'.

A friend of mine is using a separate setup using the upflow method. In this setup the media is three layers; med size gravel, pea gravel, then sand. It appears to polish his water extremely well. To clean it, he has a valve that he opens in the back to release the water has he hoses the gravel pit out. Could you comment on this type of polishing mechanism as well?

(I hope I'm not out of line, I'm new to this forum and still haven't got my arms around these threads and replys yet )

not Mike.... but can tell you what works well for me.
K1 boiled with air followed by a static K1(boiled with air only to flush clean.
filters good and is easy as pie to clean.
Sandy/KNTRY's build has good on to see posted on it.

well crud she doesn't have the pictures posted here.....Sandy can you post some?

Well guys, I use air conditioning filter pads that you can pick up at the home depot. I end up cleaning them about every day but that is beacuse I use way less then I should. Those are in the pond. the water runs through them to get to the pump. ( I have a pool cleaning net in front to act as a skimmer and grab items like leaves) It all works pretty well, though I do need to clean it daily.

Where the water comes out, it bubbles out through several "Ports" Under a thick layer of sand, which probably will only get cleaned once every few years.

Meg's links give a pretty good survey of techniques. I think the question becomes: Which technique is most readily useful with a particular existing system? The answer will vary. I am very happy with the EAzy. My skimmers are designed for filter mats to capture most of the gunk before it gets to the filter. I was completely happy with the mats. As the koi have grown, however, the amount of algae glarf and gunk has increased. It was completely safe to only clean the mats once per week. Now, I often must clean them during the week... sometime even 3 times per week. That is not practical for me. My work often has me coming home late and often takes me out of town for several days or a week at a time. And, my wife wants nothing to do with cleaning filter mats! So, I need for the system to be able to operate without any sort of maintenance for 6 days straight as a bare minimum, even in the height of the season.... and, I do not want the koi going without feeding just because I'm late or out of town. I am thinking of adding brushes to the leaf basket of each skimmer to see if that will result in mats not needing mid-week cleaning. (I have seen brushes used in place of mats. The brushes do not block water flow when gunked up. But, more glarf gets through to the filter. It may be a workable compromise for when I'm out of town for a week. It is not acceptable to me for everyday use.)

BTW... The importance of mechanical filtration gets short shrift too often. We tend to be so focused on the bio-filter, we just assume the mechanical capture will be OK. The more that can be done to mechanically capture debris & waste, the better. And, best is if you can also remove the captured debris & waste from the system frequently. That is what makes settlement chambers which can be easily flushed daily (or more often) by simply turning a valve such a positive. If I ever have another pond, it will have more settlement chambers (and be on a hill so I can flush easily and quickly without relying on a sump!). Please don't get the idea that cleaning out mechanically trapped gunk once per week is a good thing. My point above concerns what is needed by me for practical reasons. Even when it is inconvenient, when I clean skimmer mats mid-week, I know I'm helping the water quality.